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Breast cancer is the most common disease among women in the United States accounting for nearly one of every three cancers diagnosed. Even though the vast majority of breast cancers occur in women though, men are at risk as well.

On Monday, October 21, Dr. Randy Mudge, director of radiation oncology at the Bronson Battle Creek’s Cancer Care Center will talk about ‘Radiation Concepts in the Treatment of Breast Cancer.’

The one-hour program in the Bronson Battle Creek (BBC) Outpatient Center will begin at 5:30 p.m. Please use the Emmett Street entrance and parking lot. His program is free to the public, but seating is limited. For reservations call toll free (800) 451-6310.

Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancer cells. Radiation is often used following breast-conserving surgery to help lower the chance that the cancer will come back in the breast or nearby lymph nodes. Radiation may also be recommended after mastectomy in patients when cancer is found in the lymph nodes.

A machine outside the body called external-beam radiation may deliver the radiation or it can come from radioactive material that is placed in the body near the cancer cells.

The BBC Cancer Care Center offers an accelerated radiation treatment for certain types of breast cancers that can be completed in only five days. This cancer treatment, sometimes referred to as ‘brachytherapy,’ is delivered from inside the body and limits exposure of normal, healthy tissue to radiation. The fact that the five-day precise radiation treatment is minimally invasive, coupled with the shorter treatment time, makes it easier for more women to consider the choice of a lumpectomy versus a full mastectomy.

“For some patients, the conventional radiation therapy regimen of daily radiation treatments for five to seven consecutive weeks can be an obstacle to overcome,” says Dr. Mudge. “The fact that the brachy therapy treatment is minimally invasive for patients coupled with the shorter treatment time, makes it easier for more women to consider the choice of lumpectomy versus a full mastectomy. This procedure drastically reduces treatment from many weeks to just one with minimal to no side effects.”

He will also talk about treatment options in breast conserving therapy as well as new directions of radiation therapies.